289 



it will be many years before the plant requires replanting, but if 

 carelessly dealt with, allowed to get weedy when young, trampled 

 on or between, the plant will soon become enfeebled and the 

 whole trouble of replanting will have to be gone through again in 

 a short time. 



Manure* — " The exhaustive nature of the plant is shown by the 

 following analysis of dry ramie stems. The ramie stems were 

 found by Dr. T. K. Hornidge to contain, in 1 00 parts : — 

 Carbon ... 47 '28 



Hydrogen ... 6 "26 



Nitrogen ... 009 



Oxygen ... 42 23 



Ash ... 4' 14 



100 GO 



"The ash consists of: — 



Potash ... 32 37 per cent. 1 48' 76 per cent. 



Soda 



Lime 



Magnesia 



Peroxide of iron . . . 



Chloride of sodium 



Phosphoric acid ... 



Sulphuric acid ... 



Carbonic acid 



Silicic acid (with \ 



a little charcoal 6 60 



and sand) J 



99 90 



" It will be noticed that the alkalies contribute almost one-half, 

 and the phosphoric acid about one-tenth of the ash. If the weight 

 of dry stems obtained at one crop be taken at only 1,000 lbs. per 

 acre, this gives, with three crops in the year, a yield of about 

 3,000 lbs. of dry stems per acre per annum. The quantity of ash 

 in that quantity will amount, according to the foregoing analysis 

 to 124 lbs., and the quantity of alkalies subtracted from one acre 

 in the course of the year will be about 60 lbs., and of phosphoric 

 acid about 12 lbs. In England a crop of wheat is usually assumed 

 to subtract from the soil about 30 lbs. of alkalies, and 28 lbs. of 

 phosphoric acid ; and a crop of flax about 50 lbs. of alkalies, 

 and 24 lbs. of phosphoric acid. In comparison with these numbers 

 it seems that ramie requires a very large amount of alkalies, 

 especially of potash, more than either flax or wheat, whilst the 

 quantity of phosphoric acid is only one-half of that contained in a 

 crop of flax, owing to the large quantities of phosphoric acid con- 

 tained in the linseed. 



•Forbes Watson. 



